Ffs team building why now?

[NomNomNominativeDeterminism]

On the one hand I am just grateful to have a job right now.

On the other hand it is under resourced and stressed to hell. Now we have to do a team building day - remotely - talks and stuff.

I’m upset that anyone has had to divert their time to organising this. And that we have to attend. It’s all ‘we know how difficult it is at the moment’ but really do you? Do you? So how about NOT MAKING IT WORSE BY TAKING AWAY THE TIME TO DO THE WORK WHILE STILL EXPECTING THE WORK TO BE DONE? It is the last thing anyone needs.

Who’s got some good team building avoidance excuses? Or tips on how to change a snarl to a convincing fake smile when pretending to engage with this shit?

Ooh you be like Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in Speed and record yourself listening, nodding, for a couple of minutes then play it on a loop! They'll never know ...

That is inspired! I’m channelling my inner Sandra Bullock. Nod and smile, nod and smile.

Except that if lots of the team are really struggling WFH (I am a bit but some of the team are getting very down and we’ve been told we won’t be back until sometime in the NY at the earliest) then it maybe to the overall productivity benefit to let of steam socialising for a couple of hours?

Line up mindless tasks ready to work through. Do what you can to make your bed not look like a bed, then sit up in bed with your laptop. This is the great boon of virtual meetings. You will just look like you're taking notes on the fascinating team-building talks. Then at 7am the next day (from bed), send all the emails you drafted during the talks, and freak everyone out with your early morning efficiency.

Good point AJ (missing you on Strictly by the way). The main reason we’re struggling is that there is too much to do and not enough time to do it. I like my colleagues but I want to get the work done. Not pander to some bollocks and then have to do the work in even more of my own time than usual.

Ah Melisande I like your thinking. I’m making a list right now. Cackle.

lifehacker.com/how-to-create-a-looping-video-of-yourself-that-attends-1842843207

MN is so educational. Looping video instructions! Next time there’s a ‘what have you learnt from Mumsnet’ thread I’m going in with this one.

Team building right now is silly. Doing it online misses the whole point.

All the team building things I've been on were a few people who loved all that sort of thing and most people bonding by

Standing around looking cold and pissed off and moaning to each other about how shit it was
Finding out about non work stuff ie family interests etc over the meals and in the evening (drinks!)

You can't do any of that online. Not even the stuff for the people who get bang into duck herding etc.

I feel for you op.

Do you have an agenda? I'd love to see what you have in store

Just do some work whilst you listen

Good plan until someone says, yourname! What do you think?

And you think... Oh fuck.

My work is nice. If there's a pause someone says oh we were talking about xyz and brief recap

A lot of people find it hard to maintain attention with online stuff.